Changes: Dragon Age Wiki:Manual of Style

Revision as of 19:59, 21 January 2019

This page documents a Dragon Age Wiki guideline. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should follow, though it should be treated with common sense, and occasional exceptions may apply.

When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. When in doubt, discuss your idea on the talk page.

Shortcut: DA:MOS

This Manual of Style outlines a standard of clean, consistent formatting for articles on this wiki. The formatting described here is a guideline and can be overridden where circumstances warrant it. These guidelines will never be unerringly perfect for every situation. However, please try your best to keep to the advice outlined in this article so others may use your edits as an example when creating and editing their own articles.

These guidelines are a summary of the most important guidelines for this wiki, but a more expansive set of style guidelines can be found on Wikipedia at Wikipedia Manual of Style.

General

One of the most important parts of wiki editing is how to structure an article. The structure is a powerful thing: it dictates what information the reader reads and when he or she reads it. It can influence what people contribute, where it goes, and how it might be written. Structure has the power to inform or confuse the same way good or bad writing does. Keep a well structured article, and you're more likely to have a high quality one.

Organize sections in an article in a hierarchical structure like you would an outline. Keep it logical, but feel free to forsake strict logic for readability. Wherever possible, try to have an introduction for each section. Just like the article as a whole, the section should start with an introduction and then have its subsections below it. Try using a shallow structure rather than a deep one. Too many nested sections usually leads to a confusing or unreadable article.

Above all, keep your layout consistent. The following sections will offer some good advice on keeping your articles clean, consistent, and clear.

Article layout examples

The wiki has guidelines for how to lay out different types of articles.

Disambiguation

Shortcut: DA:DISAMBIG

When two different articles have the same title, disambiguation should be used. Disambiguation can be added by adding a simple descriptive word in brackets at the end of the article title and/or by creating a disambiguation page using the {{Disambig}} template. The template itself should be placed at the bottom of the page.

If there are two or more unrelated articles with the same name, the wiki's general practice is to use the original title on the more popular article and then add a disambiguation to the other article or articles. For example Leliana's Song DLC retained its original title, while Leliana's Song (soundtrack) has had a descriptive word added.

If there are two or more articles with similar names or search terms, a disambiguation page can be created. See Hawkwind for an example.

Multiple articles with the same name, but from different games, should be disambiguated by their game titles. The article about companions in Dragon Age: Origins would be titled "Companions (Origins)", while the article about companions in Dragon Age II would be titled "Companions (Dragon Age II)", and the article for companions in Dragon Age: Inquisition is titled "Companions and advisors (Inquisition)".

There are different templates to redirect the user to other pages:

{{For}}
{{About}}

Redirects

Shortcut: DA:REDIRECT

Redirects should generally be created when the subject of an article can be referred to by multiple terms, names, or different spellings of the same term or name. When renaming an article, a redirect is automatically created from the old name to the new name by the wiki engine. Redirects should not be created for plurals, as a plural can usually be linked directly to the corresponding singular with standard wiki markup: for instance, [[Mage]]s is displayed as "Mages" but links to "Mage".

Soft redirects

Sometimes, simply following a redirect may spoil the plot of a game or another installment of the Dragon Age series, e.g. by revealing a character's secret identity or a future transformation too early. In such cases, a "soft redirect" should be created instead: a short page containing the spoiler-free introduction of its subject's role in the plot and a short Involvement section revealing their true or future identity, hidden by an appropriate spoiler template. Soft redirects should be named in accordance with our naming conventions and added to any appropriate content categories that are not themselves spoilers (since the category bar cannot be hidden by a spoiler template). Additionally, the template {{soft redirect}} should be included on top of such articles, which automatically adds them to Category:Soft redirects category.

Protagonist

Shortcut: DA:PROTAGONIST

In encyclopaedic articles, the protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins should be referred to as "The Warden", or simply "Warden". The protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening is referred to as "The Warden-Commander". The protagonist of Dragon Age II is referred to as Hawke, "The Champion of Kirkwall" or "The Champion". The protagonist of Dragon Age: Inquisition is referred to as "The Inquisitor".

As player characters can be male or female, remember to write about them in a gender-neutral way. Where a pronoun must be used, use "they" or "their" instead of "s/he", "he/she" or "his/hers".

Outside of direct quotation, the third person must be used in 'walkthrough' sections and the first person ("I") should only be used on talk pages. The second person is only acceptable when referring to the player outside of the game world, for example in controls and character creation pages.

The term "the player" should only be used to refer to the individual playing the game, not a character.

Lead section

Shortcut: DA:LEAD

Unless an article is very short, it should start with an introductory lead section, before the first subheading. The lead should not be explicitly entitled == Introduction == or any equivalent header. The table of contents, if displayed, appears after the lead section and before the first subheading.

The lead should be capable of standing alone as a concise overview of the article, establishing context, and explaining why the subject is interesting or notable. It should be either one or two paragraphs long, and should be written in a clear and accessible style so that the reader is encouraged to read the rest of the article.

If possible, make the title the subject of the first sentence of the article. For example, write:

Andraste was the prophetess whose teachings later served as the foundation for the formation of the Chantry.

The first time the article mentions the title, put it in bold using three apostrophes — '''article title''' produces article title. Avoid other uses of bold in the first sentence, except for alternative titles of an article; for example:

The mother of Maric Theirin Moira, known as the Rebel Queen, was the one responsible for first inspiring the rebellion against the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden and personally led the rebel forces against them.

Follow the normal rules for italics in choosing whether to put part or all of the title in italics. This will mainly apply to the titles of books and games:

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne is a novel set in the Dragon Age universe.

Do not put links in the bold reiteration of the title in the article's lead sentence. For example:

"A [[dwarf]] is one of the three playable races in Dragon Age: Origins."

"A dwarf is one of the three playable races in Dragon Age: Origins"

Infobox

Infoboxes are standardized templates that contain an overview of the most important information about the subject of the article, such as a picture, common names, and associations. If the article's topic qualifies for an infobox, it should always be included in the lead section, before the main text. An article should not contain more than one infobox. See Article layout examples for more detailed instructions on using infoboxes in specific article types.

Infobox contents may include unmarked spoilers, so readers wishing to avoid them should also avoid infoboxes. Infoboxes may not contain speculative information, but conditional contents (which are only valid if a player makes specific choices in their playthrough) are allowed. Such content should be appended with a disclaimer <small>(conditional)</small> or <small>(conditionally)</small>, whichever is more appropriate; other notations such as "(possibly)" should not be used.

Section headings

Use the == (two equal signs) and === (three equal signs) markups, as in === Section headings ===, to enclose major and minor section headings respectively. These are convenient synonyms of the <h2> and <h3> heading markups.

Be careful never to use single equal signs for a section heading. That is a synonym of the <h1> heading markup, which is used automatically by the wiki's page header mechanism. Reusing it is bad style and risky coding.

Section headings are signposts to your article's structure. Make them short and simple to avoid confusion. Concision without obscurity in headings is good: for instance, you may usually drop a, an and the, omit unneeded pronouns, and so on.

Do not reuse the article title in section headings. Searching an article is made easier if section headings are distinct from the title and from each other.

Only use subheadings in the Involvement section if the subject of the article has appeared in multiple instalments of the franchise.

Write section headings in lower-case letters, except for the first letter of the first word and the first letter of any proper nouns:

"Founding and history"

"Founding and History"

"House Aeducan"

"House aeducan"

Background section

Whenever possible, try not to use a codex entry excerpt link in place of an actual written background. If a codex entry is the only source of a subject's background history, try rephrasing the information to focus on the specific subject and maintain neutrality.

Images

Main article: Dragon Age Wiki: Image guidelines

Images make an article memorable and/or attractive. They can speak where words fail. At the same time, misplaced or untidy images can detract from an article. When choosing images, keep in mind placement, size, and the appropriateness of the image to the section. Let images flow with the text instead of break it up.

Large images such as screenshots should use the "thumb" (example:[[File:CoolImage.png|thumb]]) option which displays large images as thumbnails. Images should generally be right-aligned, to enhance readability by allowing a smooth flow of text down the left margin - the "thumb" option does this by default. If an infobox is not being used in an article, a right-aligned picture in the lead section is encouraged.

For more information, see Help:Images.

Galleries

When an article has many images (or could use more) but inline images may detract from its readability, the use of a <gallery> section is encouraged. A gallery section should contain no more than 12 images.

Tables

Tables should use the "daotable" design when possible, and should include as little 'fancy' formatting as possible. Tables can also be made sortable by adding a "sortable" class (by using class="daotable sortable").

Heading one	Heading two	Heading three
Row data 1a	Row data 2a	Row data 3a
Row data 1b	Row data 2b	Row data 3b
Row data 1c	Row data 2c	Row data 3c
Row data 1d	Row data 2d	Row data 3d

{| class="daotable"
|-
! Heading one || Heading two || Heading three
|- 
| Row data 1a
| Row data 2a
| Row data 3a
|-
| Row data 1b
| Row data 2b
| Row data 3b
|- 
| Row data 1c
| Row data 2c
| Row data 3c
|-
| Row data 1d
| Row data 2d
| Row data 3d
|}

Navigation boxes

Navigation boxes can use or be based off {{NavBox}} (see Category:Navigation templates for a list of available templates on the wiki). Generally they should be placed at the end of an article, above the categories.

Article message boxes and tags

You may tag an article if you believe it may need to be reviewed due to inaccuracies or poor writing. Articles will be categorized in one of the categories of Category:Site maintenance. For a complete list of available templates, see Category:Article management templates.

Writing and formatting

Per the layout guide, the message boxes generally appear at the top of the page after disambiguation links, but may be included within a section. {{stub}} must always be at the top of the page.

Stub {{stub}}: When an article has very little information and you believe more can be added.
Section stub {{section stub}}: When the article is not a stub, but some sections may need expansion. Use it within a section.
Missing information {{missing info|specify}}: Use it when specific or key information is lacking.
Bad writing or poorly formatted {{cleanup|specify if possible}}: When an article may require a rewrite because it is poorly written or does not adhere to our current policies and guidelines, or the article has formatting/layout issues.
Picture required {{pictures wanted}}: Articles generally benefit from having pictures. If an existing picture does not adhere to DA:IMAGE, you may tag it with {{cleanup}}.

Tags within the text

Confirmation {{confirm}}: When material contradicts relevant experience, seems narrowly subjective or otherwise suspect. Use only when familiar with the content in question; if in doubt, add an entry to the corresponding talk page.
Citation {{citation needed}}: When a citation (usually from a game developer) is required to support a statement.
Clarifying {{explain}}: If something is too vague and requires a better explanation.

Others

Move {{move|page name suggested}}: If you are unsure how to name the article or think that it may be contested.
Merge {{merge|page to merge with}}: When the article should be merged with another and may be either deleted or used as a redirect.
Split {{split}}: If the page covers more than one topic and may benefit from splitting (e.g., a section would be more appropriate as a separate article).
Delete {{delete|reasons}}: If you think a page about a character or a topic isn't needed (e.g., it isn't notable or it should be merged with another article).
Speedy delete {{speedydelete}}: Page deletion which does not require review, such as vandalism, spam, etc.

References

Shortcut: DA:REF

When you add information to an article that is not common knowledge, you should add a reference. This can be done by adding, <ref> Details of reference </ref> next to the information that needs to be referenced.

This wiki has a set of citation templates that should be used when adding information from common sources, such as the BioWare forums. Check here to see if there is a template that suits your needs.

If you use the same reference multiple times within the one article, you can give it a distinct identifier so it can be reused. Use <ref name="Reference ID">Details of reference</ref> for the first reference. For all subsequent references, only <ref name="Reference ID" /> needs to be used.

Whenever you add a reference, you also need to ensure the page has a reference heading (see the basic layout guidelines for exact positioning). Under this heading, the <references/> tag needs to added in order for the references to be displayed correctly. If the references section is particularly long, a scroll box should added by using the {{Scroll box}} template.

If you find an article that needs a reference, add the {{Citation needed}} template next to the information in question.

Quotations

Shortcut: DA:QUOTE

Head quotes

This type of quote is seen at the top of an article. It is only allowed within main quest pages, character pages, and lore pages. Use {{quote}} before the infobox.

Codex excerpts as head quotes to replace content should not be used.

Quotes section

Only character pages should have standard quotes or exchanges, which should only be featured within a "Quotes" section. See DA:CHARACTER for more information.

Formatting

Format a long quote (over four lines) as an italicized block quotation, which will be indented from both margins. Do not enclose the block quote in quotation marks. To format a block quotation, do not use the wiki indentation mark ":" — instead, use the HTML <blockquote> element.

Grammar

Grammar is a writer's toolbox. You can't build good sentences without knowing how to use your tools. Since a wiki article must be as clear as possible for all the people reading it, editors must keep close to correct grammar standards to ensure clear communication.

Capitalization

See also: Dragon Age Wiki:Naming conventions

Titles such as arl, ban, teryn or king start with a capital letter when used as a title (followed by a name): "King Maric", not "king Maric". When used generically, they should be in lower case: "Eamon is a powerful arl." The correct formal name of an office is treated as a proper noun. Hence: "Cailan is the current King of Ferelden."

Classes should only be capitalized when used as a proper noun, i.e., as someone's name. ("Warrior, go be evil" versus "That warrior is quite evil.")

Races such as elf, kossith, human and dwarf should not be capitalized except when used as a proper noun or at the beginning of a sentence. It should be noted that Qunari is not a race and should start with a capital letter regardless of how it is written in Dragon Age: Origins.

Titles of works

Italics are used for the titles of works, such as books and games. The titles of articles, chapters, and other short works are not italicized but are enclosed in double quotation marks.

For example, italicize Dragon Age: The Calling, and use quotes if it is only a chapter that is mentioned.

Tenses

Shortcut: DA:TENSE

As any work of fiction, the installments of the Dragon Age series (regardless whether they are video games, novels, comic books, or any other supplemental material) take place in a "perpetual present tense" in the sense that their events unfold before the player/reader's eyes as if in the present (even though e.g. the novels are technically written in the past tense). With the narrated events thus continuously shifting from the future, through present, to the past as each story progresses, there is no single definitive "now" in the Dragon Age series but the one that each individual player/reader is currently at. Since this wiki is written for the benefit of the players and readers of the Dragon Age series, it should therefore ease their access to its contents by recounting the events of individual stories in the present tense. On the other hand, events that led up to them should be summed up in the past tense to clearly indicate that they took place outside of the time frame of the described installment.

Present tense should be used to describe the involvement of any character, inanimate object, location, group, country, etc. in the plot of a particular installment of the Dragon Age series, be it a video game, a novel, a comic book, etc. Additionally, present tense should be used when writing about the last known state of an entity that has not yet been invalidated by new information.
Past tense should be used to describe events that transpired "off-screen", such as historical lore and character backgrounds before their introductions to the Dragon Age series. Events that happened with a particular subject between installments should likewise be recounted in the past tense before describing the subject's involvement in the more recent installment in the present tense.
Future tense may be used at the contributing editor's discretion whenever it helps to make the article more readable.

Walkthrough articles should always use the present tense, because they are intended to be read in real time as the player progresses through a game. Occasionally, however, future tense may be used to warn the player of unforeseen consequences without spoiling the plot.

Writing

“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs” ―Stephen King

We now come to the meat of an article: the words themselves. When you're editing wikis, you're both academic and artist. You have to be accurate, but you also have to be interesting. Neither one can dominate; you have to skillfully balance both.

Keep your writing concise. Don't use two words where one will do. Keeping your writing simple will make it easy to understand and easy to expand on. Use complete sentences whenever possible. When you write, use grammar as a toolbox: know the rules, but only break them on purpose.

Check your spelling and grammar. Do not use 'u' in place of 'you' or '2' in place of 'to'. Write the way you would for a class paper or a newspaper article.

Keep all of the topics you cover within the scope of the article. What that means is, you don't need to give a detailed history of dwarves on the page about Oghren. Consider the article's title as your point of origin and write from that perspective. Make use of the wiki's ability to link to more detailed articles or external sources for more information.

Keep strategies from distracting from walkthroughs. Where possible, relegate strategies to Strategy pages and link to them from walkthroughs. Exceptions to this include unique opponents who only appear in the quest the walkthrough is describing and if something about the quest, such as an item or the battleground topology, significantly changes the strategy. In the latter case, it is preferred that the walkthrough include what is different in the quest and a link to the strategy page for general considerations. When writing strategy pages, consider various playstyles, party compositions and difficulty levels as there will not be one single way of achieving victory.

Write from an impersonal perspective. Do not use "I." For example, do not write, "Of all the threats from beyond the Veil, few demons are as insidious and deceptively deadly as the desire demon~~, as far as I know~~." Avoid drawing attention to the author (yourself) as much as possible.

Be bold. If you know something is wrong, correct it. If you think you could word something better, write it. If an article has a glaring deficiency, fill it. Even if your first attempt isn't golden, you can fix it later or someone else will come along and fix it for you. Don't be afraid to screw up.

Conclusion

Every article can be improved (even this one). Following these guidelines will not ensure a perfect article the first time, but it will give the article a stronger skeleton. It's ultimately your job as an editor to put meat on it.

External links

WoWWiki's Manual of Style, which this MoS is based off
Wikipedia's Manual of Style